To determine the efficacy of ultrasonography in the evaluation of bone fill at the regenerate site for mandibular distraction osteogenesis over clinical and radiographic assessment- An in vivo prospective study

Until date conventional radiographs and computed tomography are the preferred diagnostic modalities to monitor the distraction osteogenesis regenerate. But these techniques do not detect the ongoing osteogenic process; moreover they obligate the patient to serial radiation exposure. In addition, anatomic overlap and metal artifacts obscure the virtual findings. In contrast, ultrasound is a noninvasive, efficient and an inexpensive way to evaluate bone healing. This study was conducted to test the efficacy of ultrasound in evaluating bone healing at the mandibular distraction site. Twenty patients underwent mandibular distraction. The wounds were assessed with an orthopantomograph and an ultrasound at the end of latency, mid distraction, end of distraction and post distraction periods i.e. 6 weeks, 8 weeks and 4months. Estimates of bone formation, using a semiquantitative radiological, ultrasonographic and intraoperative surgical bone fill scores were made. The correlation between intraoperative and ultrasonographic bone fill scores was statistically significant at 0.602, a total of 26 of the 31 sites correlated. Corresponding correlation between intraoperative and radiographic bone fill scores was 0.332, and only 13 of the 31 sites correlated. The results indicate that ultrasound is potentially an accurate noninvasive technique that is most useful in assessing the mandibular distraction regenerate.